Friday, August 17, 2007

Stem Organics from Down Under

I am on a huge skin care kick. I've been trying out a line for two weeks and moving onto the next. Since skincare lines are getting clever with the try-me samplers, it's been somewhat affordable to go on this luxurious skin bender.

Not surprisingly, Stem focuses on sourcing as much organic ingredient as possible. They also purport to be the worlds first 100% climate neutral skin care company. Stem Organics buys offsetting carbon credits to make the company energy neutral. Bramble Berry does this as well.

Here is a link to their sampler kit. It's $9.90 and that includes shipping. The samples are small. There is enough serum in one little disk for approximately 3 to 5 applications. I am almost through my sample kit.You can read more about the young, environmentally friendly founders here.

Review: The cleanser is gentle and does its job: it cleans without stripping. It feels no better or worse than Cetaphil. It is pricier - aloe vera juice instead of water, copious herbal extracts and 70% organic cost more. For a rinse-off product, it's dubious whether all the goodies make a difference.

Personally, I spend my skin care money on leave-on products. Stem sent 1 serum and 3 moisturizers to try. The serum works well. It absorbs in quickly. It fills in crevices and makes my skin appear instantly smoother. This feels nice and gives me a mental boost ("My my my, you look so spry and young! You can go take over the world!"). However, I will not spend $66 for smoothness alone. Vaseline could perform the same function. The real "Wow" factor in this serum is that my skin looks brighter. I can actually see clear pores. It's a beautiful thing. Seeing more pores and a naturally glowing complexion is worth $66 to me.

The moisturizers are only okay. I didn't love then because I felt like I needed to apply another moisturizer after them. They were light and not fulfilling (similar to most diet food). Also, there is no SPF in the moisturizers. With skin cancer and wrinkle concerns, SPF would be a welcome addition.

Future reviews to come include Juice Beauty, Daniel Pry Organics, Stella McCartney and Benev. I am hoping to look like a 12 year old once all the testing is done.

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